Chapter 2
Nina took slow, unsteady steps out of the hospital, blood seeping down her pant leg and dripping onto the ground.
She pushed open the hospital door. The early winter wind swept over her, cold enough to cut right to the bone.
The sky was a dull gray, with a drizzle falling.
Her phone rang again. It was Cole. She didn't pick up. It rang again. Still, she let it go. The third time, she finally answered.
Cole said, "Nina, I see you. Don't move. I'm parking right now."
Nina looked up and saw a black Bentley in the parking lot, looking for a spot.
She suddenly laughed. "Cole."
"Yeah?"
"Nine years of marriage, and this is the first time you've picked me up at the hospital."
There was silence on the other end.
Nina walked down the steps, the rain soaking her hair. "But it's way too late now."
She crossed the street and headed straight into the subway station across from the hospital.
Behind her, the Bentley finally screeched to a halt, and Cole burst out, yelling her name desperately in the rain.
Nina didn't look back. She swiped her card, went through the turnstile, and stood behind the yellow line waiting for the train. Her phone kept ringing.
She looked down at her phone. His name kept popping up on the screen: Cole Finch.
Once, she had him saved as "honey." She had no idea when she'd switched it.
As the subway pulled in, the rush of wind lifted Nina's hair. She stepped onto the train, found a seat, and her phone finally fell silent.
She leaned against the window, watching the darkness of the tunnel blur past, broken only by the occasional flicker of light.
Her lower abdomen still throbbed, but her heart didn't hurt anymore.
Nina remembered the first time she saw Cole, back when she was nineteen, in the university library.
He was standing in front of the bookshelves in a crisp white shirt, sunlight catching his outline. She was carrying a stack of books when she accidentally knocked One Hundred Years of Solitude out of his hands.
He picked it up with a smile. "It's fine. I just finished reading it. Even after a hundred years of solitude, one still has to figure out how to live with oneself."
Nina thought he was different.
It wasn't until later that she found out he was the heir to the Finch Group.
But he still saved her a seat, brought her hot chocolate on freezing winter mornings, and even snuck into the girls' dorm to deliver medicine when she was sick.
They dated for three years and had been married for six. Nine years in all. She had given him her best years.
But somewhere along the way, things started to change.
Maybe it was after Cole's dad passed away and he took over the company, getting swamped with work.
Maybe it was when Wendy showed up, and Cole kept bringing up her name more and more.
Maybe it was when Nina tried to talk to Cole, and he always said, "I'm tired. Don't start."
Maybe it was when Nina got used to eating alone, sleeping alone, and spending holidays by herself.
Nina always believed that if she kept being considerate, kept swallowing her pain, and never made trouble, Cole would eventually notice everything she'd done for him. But she was wrong.
Her phone buzzed again. It was a text from Cole.
It read: [Nina, I was wrong. I know I messed up. Please come back. Let's talk things through. I can explain about Wendy. I swear I had no idea about the baby. I'm begging you. Come back.]
Nina stared at the message, and suddenly, she couldn't help but find it laughable.
After nine years, this was the first time Cole had ever admitted he was wrong. But it was way too late.
The announcement for her stop came over the speakers, and Nina looked up. Home? No, it was the place she rented.
She'd moved out of the Finch Manor three months ago.
That day, when Nina discovered she was pregnant, she wanted to give Cole a surprise. She cooked dinner and waited for him to come home.
It was already eleven at night when he finally called. "Wendy's got a fever. I'm taking her to the hospital. I won't be home tonight."
Nina sat alone at the dining table, staring at the burnt-out candles, the cold food, and those two unmistakable red lines on the pregnancy test.
The next day, she moved out.
Cole came looking for her later, but all he said was, "Don't make a fuss. Wendy's not well, so try to be patient with her. I had my secretary pick out a handbag for you. It'll be delivered tomorrow."
Nina didn't throw a fit. She packed up and left without a word, found a place, and started living on her own, all in silence.
She went to the hospital alone and had the surgery alone. No drama, only silence.
Nina stepped out of the subway station.
The rain had stopped, leaving the sky a dull gray.
She slowly dragged herself back to her apartment complex, went upstairs, and unlocked the door.
The place was as cold and empty as when she'd left.
She collapsed onto the bed, curled up into a ball, biting down on the blanket as tears silently streamed down her face.